Non traditional MF path

I know there is the traditional path of banking to REPE but I'm looking for different stories. I understand that under the right circumstances this is possible but has anyone ever seen someone say lateral from a associate to associate say from a smaller REPE shop to a MF without an MBA? I have a friend who went from a VP at a very small family office to a senior associate at a MF but other than that, I cant think of any other examples.

 

It’s still a dumb phrase. There are probably a dozen REPE firms that don’t fit that description but offer better experience to junior employees, pay more and do higher profile deals than Carlyle or Ares (Carlyle does a lot of small deals tbh).

Working at Carlyle vs TPG would be two very different experiences. Working at Westbrook Partners vs Centerbridge would offer very different experiences. Barriers to entry and promotion opportunities at these firms are not the same either. Yet all are “mega funds”.

The reason the term came about in the corporate PE forum is because the “mega funds” for the most part, do the same size deals (the biggest), offer similar pay / experience to junior employees, recruit from the same IB programs, offer the same exits / B-School options, have the same internal promotion options (primarily 2-3 years as an associate and out), and so on.

So in the corporate PE world it makes sense to group them together. This isn’t the case with RE

 
Most Helpful

Personally, I think it's mostly students, interns, and some early career analysts/associates that talk about "pathways to mega funds".... Not meant to offend, once you get a specialty/track record/experience, where you do what you are good at is really less important.

Lots of people leave 'mega funds' to smaller shops to get promotions, raises, and/or just better work/life setup. Smaller firms/teams are desired by many. I work for a developer that does 'high end' type project but is smaller by design than the mega large Hines/Related types. We hire people from those type firms who want to leave and they always talk about how much they disliked the 'large' nature of those firms. That is personal preference.

Anyway, I bring this up for a reason.... Most of the world is not trying to get hired by mega funds later in career, so the fact that it doesn't seem like it happens all the time should be put into context. People tend to leave mega funds for smaller firms, just like people exiting I-banks and even large PE shops. The allure fades really fast once you are in the industry.

 

I've seen it done many times by colleagues and I don't think it is hard at all to make the jump.

Like others have said though, I can't think of too many reasons as to why someone would ever want to make this transition. Only one I can think of is to help placement into an elite MBA program, but if you're at this point I'm not sure how you can justify needing an MBA other than a desire to exit real estate.

 

Generically, I would say yes. Development is more skills/project oriented, the firm name is less meaningful (same can be said going from 'mega' developer to middle market...). Thus, if you worked on a project fits the model of the next developer, you could be desired.

Quite a few people in my firm have joined from smaller, more local developers. "name brand" stuff really is more for the finance world, real estate could give two shits. Look at brokerage, a "hot player" at a small firm can get offers from big brands if they want, probably with sign-on bonuses. It's all about productions/deals/relationships you bring to the next place.

I seriouslly cannot stress this enough, who your prior employer was will offer little to your next employer, they don't give a shit. They care about your ability/skills/relationships. The only reason "big name" firms appear to have any advantage in "exit ops" is that they often hire brand new people (part of being big) and have infrastructure that trains/develops them well (and legit deal flow/execution ability of course!).

Thus, if you figure your shit out elsewhere, all you have to do is convince the next group to get the gig (brand name does help the HR screeners, but networking can negate that deficiency quite well).

 

Iste dolor quae inventore enim molestiae harum quas totam. Quo in enim et maiores. Corrupti sequi aut hic omnis illo itaque corporis. Magnam ut et architecto delectus nulla dicta. Ut numquam voluptatem voluptatum veritatis nobis explicabo tempore.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Lazard Freres No 98.9%
  • Perella Weinberg Partners New 98.3%
  • Harris Williams & Co. 24 97.7%
  • Goldman Sachs 16 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • William Blair 03 97.7%
  • Lazard Freres 06 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.9%
  • Perella Weinberg Partners 18 98.3%
  • JPMorgan Chase 06 97.7%
  • Moelis & Company 06 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (23) $378
  • Associates (95) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • 2nd Year Analyst (69) $168
  • Intern/Summer Associate (34) $167
  • 1st Year Analyst (213) $160
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (155) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
numi's picture
numi
98.8
10
Kenny_Powers_CFA's picture
Kenny_Powers_CFA
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”